Fifty by Thirty – EPA Landfill Diversion Goal Set!

There are cities and towns that separately already have landfill diversion above 50%. However, most municipalities in the United States have not yet met this diversion goal. The easiest way to meet this goal for most municipalities? Divert all compostable organics out of the landfill. Why? Because organics comprise about half of what goes into US landfills. It’s a challenge most cities could meet almost immediately just with this one change. It would also reduce methane emissions in landfills because organics is the main source of landfill methane emissions. Nationwide, organics diversion would kill two birds with one stone: 50% diversion and national methane emission reduction by 18%.

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AGROMIN: HSP #2CDFA Announces Grant Funding Available for Healthy Soils Program Under New Pilot Program

The CDFA’s Healthy Soils Program will make available about $29 million in block grant funding under a new pilot program. According to the CDFA, organizations may apply for state funding and then distribute the funds to eligible farmers, ranchers or agricultural operations for on-farm projects to help implement conservation management practices that improve soil health, sequester carbon and reduce atmospheric greenhouse gases.

Eligible organizations may request between $2 million and $5 million.

Two CDFA webinars will provide information on the program requirements and the application process.

REGISTER: Tuesday | May 2, 2023 | 9 am – 11 am

REGISTER: Wednesday | May 3, 2023 | 1 pm – 3 pm

For information on HSP Block Grant eligibility and program requirements, go to https://www.cdfa.ca.gov/oefi/healthysoils/BlockGrantProgram.html.

The deadline for applications is 5 p.m. PT on Monday, June 19, 2023. 

Contact Us Now

Kimberly Cook
Central & Northern California
(805) 846-6432
Kimberly@Agromin.com

Rick Anthony – Moderating CiIT

Rick Moderated the Composting is Infrastructure Too webinar.

Richard Anthony, Vice President, Zero Waste USA, President, Zero Waste International Alliance (ZWIA) and Principal, Zero Waste Associates, San Diego CA

Rick is also a volunteer board member of the National Zero Waste Conference who began his career in Public Administration in 1971 as a manager of the California State University Long Beach Recycling Center. He received a MS in Public Administration in 1974. Mr. Anthony has worked his entire career in environmental program management positions. He is an internationally recognized and published expert in the area of Resource Management using the Zero Waste Systems approach. He is a founder and member of the Board of Directors of the California Resource Recovery Association, the Grassroots Recycling Network, the Zero Waste International Alliance, the USA National Recycling Coalition and others.

Tuesday, July 19, 2022 • 2:00pm to 3:30-ish, Pacific Time

Organized by Rick Anthony, Gary Liss, Ruth Abbe, & Chris Sparnicht

Webinar Agenda

CiIT Agenda – July 19, 2022

All times posted are Pacific time.

  • 2:00PMRick Anthony – Moderator 
    • Welcome – Housekeeping
    • Organizing for Getting Composting Facilities Funded and Government procurement of compost products for all infrastructure projects and government lands.
  • 2:10PMCraig Coker 
    • Composting Site Selection- what is it, how to site it
  • 2:25PMAnthony Myint 
    • Zero Foodprint – Streamlining Statewide Procurement – Optimizing Climate Benefit and Minimizing Cost
  • 2:45PM Gary Liss 
    • Compost Facility Federal Funding Availability – What can be funded – Where to look
  • 2:55PMQuestions/Observations
    •  Rick Anthony – Moderator – Speakers/Attendees
  • 3:30ishRick AnthonyClosing

Webinar Video

Gary Liss Speaking at CiIT

Gary has 47 years’ experience in recycling, is a leading advocate of Zero Waste, and is Coordinator of the Recycling Is Infrastructure Too Campaign.  He is Vice-President of Zero Waste USA and past President and Lifetime Honorary Board Member of the National Recycling Coalition. He also served on the Town Council and was Mayor of Loomis, CA.

Presentation:

Federal Funding for Composting and Food Waste Reduction

Regardless of where you are in the process: organizing, planning, site selection, design, marketing agreements, construction, operation, upgrades, or renovations, getting an early scope on funding will help the process along. Gary will explain how much and what kind of funding is available, where to search for it, and how to apply for it in the next funding cycle.

Tuesday, July 19, 2022 • 2:00pm to 3:30-ish, Pacific Time

Organized by Rick Anthony, Gary Liss, Ruth Abbe, & Chris Sparnicht

Webinar Agenda

Craig Coker Speaking at CiIT

Craig Coker

With over 40 years’ experience orchestrating organics recycling facilities, Craig Coker will briefly outline how to get started with our own compostable organics diversion facilities at the CiIT webinar.

Presentation:

Compost Site Selection

Acquire a general understanding of the parameters required for how to site your composting facility:

  • Location selection criteria
  • Site Analysis & Assessment
  • Zoning and Regulations
  • Futureproofing
  • More!

Registration is now available.

Tuesday, July 19, 2022 • 2:00pm to 3:30-ish, Pacific Time

Organized by Rick Anthony, Gary Liss, Ruth Abbe, & Chris Sparnicht

Additional information about other speakers to follow

Webinar Agenda

Compostable Alternative to Plastic Wrap

A new non-woven spun/sprayed-on plant-based fiber material can replace plastic food packaging. Rutgers University and Harvard are developing a polymer nicknamed “APF” (Antimicrobial Pullulan Fiber) allows produce to remain shelf-stable longer. Apparently, you just wash off the non-toxic APF coating when you’re ready to use the produce. In image “e” above, the light green avocado is coated with APF. The dark green avocado is uncoated. In image “f”, the coating is being washed off. Image “g” shows the avocado with the APF washed off, ready for consumption.

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Anthony Myint Speaking at CiIT

Anthony Myint

Award-Winning chef/restaurateur leading public-private collaborations to mobilize the entire food and waste economy to scale climate solutions by shifting acres from extractive to carbon re-storing farming practices.

Presentation:

How Entire Industries and Jurisdictions are Scaling Carbon Sequestration

Tuesday, July 19, 2022 • 2:00pm to 3:30-ish, Pacific Time

Organized by Rick Anthony, Gary Liss, Ruth Abbe, & Chris Sparnicht

Webinar Agenda

Letter to US EPA: Composting is Infrastructure Too!

The EPA is asking for feedback on infrastructure law pertaining to US Recycling and Waste Management. It’s important for us to let those in charge know that Composting is Infrastructure Too! To that end these are some constructive resources for you to make that happen.

Note: Why are we asking for your name and address? EPA wants real names and addresses of constituents. Comments and sign-ons without real names and addresses are not counted.

Dear EPA,

We the undersigned want to ensure these considerations are integrated as part of the Infrastructure Law found at this EPA web page: https://www.epa.gov/rcra/bipartisan-infrastructure-law-transforming-us-recycling-and-waste-management

Why? Because Composting is infrastructure too. This is important first because about 18% of methane emissions come from landfills according to EPA’s own reporting. Second, about half of what’s landfilled can generally be diverted from landfills to composting facilities. These are the two easiest low hanging fruit to address when it comes to fighting climate change. In many counties that haven’t already begun, that means creating new or revising existing infrastructure so that compostable organics are diverted from landfills and into composting facilities at scales that are appropriate for each community. The list of physical and social parameters outlined below are important considerations in developing a strategy that funds infrastructure to transform US recycling and waste management:

Physical Infrastructure – for compostable organics diversion

  • Reduction – (e.g. LeanPath,com)
  • Reusables – Edible Food to Food Pantries
  • Windrows
  • In-Vessel Systems
  • Urban Composting
  • Backyard Composting
  • Community Composting (decentralization)
  • on-Farm Composting
  • Digestion (Anaerobic/Aerobic)
  • Development of Collection Programs

Social Infrastructure – for compostable organics diversion

  • Permitting documents
  • Behavior Change
  • Adoption of Policies
  • Reduction
  • Training programs
  • Workforce Development 

Yours sincerely,

The undersigned


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    Growing the Movement – Methane Action Webinar

    Compostable Organics Out Of Landfill (COOLNow)

    April 13, 2022, 12 – 2pm EST
    9 – 11am PST, Zoom – Free

    The Compostable Organics Out Of Landfill (COOLNow) Chair Richard Anthony invites compost and resource management professionals and community organizers to attend this urgent call to action.

    We will discuss current initiatives, brainstorm and plan Spring activities, monthly state or regional virtual meetings and quarterly network meetings.

    This campaign will support local organizers in expanding their programs to remanage organics out of landfills and into composting facilities in order to reduce methane emissions and promote healthy soils.

    Free Methane Action Webinar! Find out more about COOLNow on this website!

    Advisors:

    • Richard Anthony, Vice President Of Advocacy, Zero Waste USA, President, Zero Waste International Alliance (ZWIA), Principal, Zero Waste Associates, San Diego CA
    • Sally Brown, Research Associate Professor, University of Washington, Seattle, WA
    • Stuart Buckner, Buckner Environmental Associates, Ronkonkoma,, NY
    • Peter Anderson, President of RecycleWorlds Consulting and Executive Director, Center for a Competitive Waste Industry, Madison, WI
    • Kevin Drew, Carbon Positive Futures and Zero Waste Coordinator, San Francisco Department of Environment, Petaluma, CA

    Staff:

    • Chris Sparnicht, Program Manager
    • Portia Sinnott, Program Director Zero Waste USA

    Organized by COOLNow Chair Richard Anthony of Zero Waste USA and the National Recycling Coalition Board.

    Brought to you by Zero Waste USA

    Featured image is a combination of two concepts. The background is the “climate stripes” concept created by climatologist Ed Hawkins as a visual representation of the indisputable trend toward climate warming. The pie chart overlaid is a graphical representation of the Methane Emissions in 2020 as shown in the US EPA’s Greenhouse Gas Index of 2021 (GHGI 2021). Together they show the 17 percent of emissions that could be easily controlled today by legislation to remove compostable organics out of landfills. Let’s do this!